Dental Hygienist salary in Bellingham
Bellingham, WA
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Bellingham metro earns $124,850 ($60.02/hr). Bellingham pays roughly 27% above the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in Bellingham: the analysis
At a verified median of $124,850, dental hygienists in Bellingham earn substantially above the U.S. median of $98,100 — a gap of about 27%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental hygienist pay, Bellingham ranks 17th.
Compared with Washington as a whole (median $131,160), Bellingham pays dental hygienists about 5% less than the statewide median. Local demand, cost of labor, and the mix of practices drive most of that difference.
The pay range is wide: the lowest-paid tenth of dental hygienists in this metro area earn around $106,770, while the top tenth earn $149,680 or more — a spread of about $42,910. That gap reflects experience, practice setting, and local demand more than any single factor, so an individual offer can sit well above or below the midpoint.
The BLS counts roughly 150 dental hygienists employed in Bellingham — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Bellingham, a dental hygienist earns about 1.3× less than a general dentist and about 2.5× what a dental assistant earns ($168,030, $49,830 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Bellingham (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $106,770 | $51.33/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $120,080 | $57.73/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $124,850 | $60.02/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $147,740 | $71.03/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $149,680 | $71.96/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $127,470 | $61.28/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in Bellingham?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Bellingham metro earns about $124,850 ($60.02/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Bellingham dental hygienist pay compare to Washington overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Bellingham metro median is about $124,850, versus the verified BLS OEWS Washington statewide median of about $131,160.
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